A new Rurouni on the scene
by GeninNinjaKaeHoshi
Summary: This is a tale of a young girl at the age of 18. Who is she...She's the sidekick of the legendary Hitokiri Battousai.
1. The two Rurouni

"At last, I found it," said Kae. She looked at the wooden gate in front of her. She saw and read the Japanese nameplate above it. "The Kamiya Kasshin sword arts dojo." Kae had long silver hair loosely braided down her back. Her eyes were bright purple. She was wearing a baggy royal blue Haiori top and red Haiori pants. On her bare feet she wore flat woven sandals. At her side was a folded fan and on her back was strapped a sheath with a sword in it. She pushed open the gate and walked inside.

"Hello, I am Kaoru Kamiya, Assistant Master of this dojo. Can I help you?" asked a lady who was kneeling on a pillow on the other end of the main dojo, drinking a cup of tea, as Kae walked in, leaving her sandals on the wooden patio outside the sliding door.

"Yes, that you can. I am told that a man who calls himself Rurouni has been seen around here, that I have," said Kae, as she walked up to Kaoru. "Is this true?"

"Yes, he is, but he is not here at the moment. You may wait here until he returns if you wish," offered Kaoru. "We have plenty of room if you need to stay for a while."

"Thank you, I think I will do that, that I will. I myself, am a Rurouni, that I am, but you can call me Kae, Kae Sagara," said Kae as she bowed to Kaoru for her kind and generous hospitality.

The next day, Kae, Kaoru, and an older man name Kihei were walking through Tokyo Town Square. Kae was no longer wearing the sword on her back, but she still had the fan at her side. Kae, Kaoru, and Kihei were carrying groceries back to the dojo when they heard a police whistle ahead of them.

Kae looked ahead and saw a crowd of people gathered around some police officers. "Oh, an arrest."

"Stop struggling! Come along!" they heard a police officer say from the midst of the crowd.

"Kae, Kihei, stay here. I'm going to go see what is going on," said Kaoru, as she ran into the crowd.

The police were holding a man with long red hair tied back in a ponytail, and a cross-shaped scar on his cheek to the ground.

"Oro!" stammered the man from the ground.

"Rurouni!" yelled Kaoru when she saw him. "You're still here?"

The man looked up at Kaoru. "Oh, Kaoru, dressed like a lady, you seem so different."

Kaoru shot the man an angry look and turned to walk away. "Guess you don't want my help!"

"Wait!" yelled the man as he reached out for her.

"Mmmg!" groaned Kaoru as she turned to the police officer that was now holding the man by the back of his maroon Haiori top. "Okay, what did he do?"

"He's violating the sword banning act, as you can…" stated the officer. He took a closer look at Kaoru. "Hm? Aren't you the one from that Hitokiri Battosai School?"

"I told you we were framed!" shot Kaoru.

"Don't you yell at a police officer!" yelled the police officer.

"You don't have the power to tell me who I can yell at!" argued Kaoru.

"Now, now…Let's all calm down," said Kihei, as he walked towards Kaoru with Kae behind him.

"Kihei?" asked Kae as she stopped next to Kaoru.

"Who are you?" asked the police officer.

Kihei grabbed the officer's hand. "Is there any need for anger, really?"

As the old man removed his hand, Kae noticed that he had slipped the officer some yen (money). "What a dirty trick," Kae thought to herself. "Something about the old man isn't right. I'll have to watch him closely from now on, that I will."

The officer dropped the man who walked over to Kae and Kaoru. "All right. We'll let it go just this once, but next time won't be so easy. Don't make trouble, Little Girl," he said to Kaoru.

Kaoru made a face as the officer turned to walk away. "Oh, not me!"

Kae stared after the police officer. "Weak in body and in spirit, that he is…" she said to herself out loud.

Kaoru looked at Kae. "Huh?"

"Oh, nothing," answered Kae.

Kaoru turned to the Rurouni. "So, you're still in town. Do you have some business here?"

"Um…not exactly…" answered the Rurouni. "Anyways, how's the hunt for the murderer going?" He smiled.

"Murderer?" thought Kae.

"Oh…well…I do have one likely suspect," said Kaoru. "There's a dojo called 'Kiheikan' on the outskirts of the next town over."

"A dojo?" asked Kae and the Rurouni at the same time.

"No, more like an ex-dojo. Now it's a gathering place for gamblers and rogues," explained Kaoru. "A former Samurai took it over about two months ago. A giant of a man. They say he's 6 feet 5 inches. Two months ago. When the murders started. There aren't many men that big and skilled with swords." Kaoru cracked her knuckles. "I have no proof, so I can't do anything…but soon!"

"Miss Kaoru, I must leave to prepare dinner," said Kihei.

"Oh, yes. Thank you," answered Kaoru.

"If you'll excuse me…" said the old man as he turned and left.

Kae turned to Kaoru. "That fellow we were with before…" she started.

"Who, Kihei? He's sort of a live-in apprentice," explained Kaoru. "It was right after my father passed away. Kihei collapsed in front of the dojo and I helped him out. He doesn't really believe in girls practicing swordsmanship. He says I should sell the dojo and go live quietly somewhere."

"Where's he from?" asked the man with red hair.

"I don't know. I never asked," answered Kaoru.

"Never asked?!" asked the man and Kae at the same time.

"Should I have? Why would it matter? We all have things in our past that we don't want to talk about. You two do, don't you?" Kaoru asked Kae and the Rurouni. "That's why you're Rurouni's."

"True," stated the Rurouni.

"So, you can't have much money, Rurouni. Do you want to stay with me and Kae?" asked Kaoru.

"Oh, no. This one has an errand to run," stated the Rurouni.

"But you just said…"

"How forgetful. Excuse me," he said as he turned to leave.

Kae put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm coming with you, Rurouni. I won't cause any trouble, that I won't." She smiled as the Rurouni nodded. They started to walk away from Kaoru.

"B-but, wait…" Kaoru called after them.

"There's more?" asked the Rurouni, as he turned to look at her.

"The other day, I never thanked you for saving my life, and well, I'm sorry…"

The man walked up to Kaoru and put a hand on her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

Kaoru began hitting the man on the head. "Why can't I just apologize!?"

"Indeed, why not?" agreed the Rurouni. He backed up and stood next to Kae. He smiled at Kaoru. "Well, this Rurouni doesn't mind such things. Miss Kaoru shouldn't worry either. Bye now." He and Kae turned to leave.

"I'll be back to the dojo later, Kaoru!" said Kae as she waved. "That I will."


	2. Hitokiri Battousai X 3

"Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!" the Rurouni yelled as he and Kae stood at the gate of the Kiheikan dojo. "Hel…" he started to say when someone opened the gate.

"Oh, shut up! Who are you?" asked the man who had opened the gate.

"Is the sensei…?" Kae started to ask.

"Master Hiruma is out! Come back later!" shot the man.

"Ah, so his name is Master Hiruma," said the Rurouni.

"Y-you didn't know?"

"We thought his name was 'Murderer Battosai', that we did," said Kae. She noticed the shocked look on the man's face when she said that. "Kaoru's suspicions appear correct, that they do."

More men came from inside the main dojo. "What's the matter, Nishiwaki?" one of them asked. "Who're the runts?" The new men surrounded Kae and the Rurouni.

"Not even runts," said the man who had opened the gate. "Get rid of them." He and the surrounding men moved in to attack, as the Rurouni reached for his sword and Kae reached for the fan at her side.

Kaoru raised her wooden sword to block the swing of the giant man's blade, but it snapped and the man's blade met her shoulder, slicing it open. Before Kaoru fell to the ground, the giant man grabbed her by the front of her shirt and lifted her off the ground.

"Mastery and death! That is what the sword is for!" said Kihei, as she walked up to Kaoru. He unsheathed a small knife and grabbed Kaoru's hand.

Kaoru flinched as Kihei cut her thumb.

"There," said Kihei, as he pressed a piece of paper to the cut to soak up the blood. He looked at the paper. "This makes the property mine. Kamiya Kasshin Style is gone."

Everyone in the dojo looked back when they heard the door slide open.

"Nishiwaki? What's the matter?" asked the giant man, whose name was Gohei.

"Th…them…" stammered the man. He fell to the ground to reveal the Rurouni and Kae standing behind him.

"K-Kae…Rurouni!" stammered Kaoru.

"Forgive our lateness," said the Rurouni, as he and Kae slipped their sandals off.

"He told us everything, that he did," added Kae, as they stepped into the dojo, and walked towards Gohei who still held Kaoru.

"You again," said Gohei when he saw the Rurouni. "Are you here to talk about 'Swords that give life', too?"

The Rurouni sighed. "No. A sword is a weapon, whatever pretty names you give it. Swordsmanship is a way to kill."

"She speaks as one who has never bloodied her hands, that she does," added Kae. "Kaoru maintains a sweet naïve lie."

"Kae…Ru-rurouni…" stammered Kaoru.

"But in the face of such awful truth," stated the Rurouni.

"The naïve lie she tells is so much better, that it is," finished Kae.

"If this one had a wish, it would be that her lie would become the truth of this world."

"Hey, Bro, it's okay if I kill those two, right?" Gohei asked Kihei.

"They've been a pain. Have your goons beat them to death," answered Kihei, as he glared at Kae and the Rurouni.

"All right. Boys?" said Gohei as he pointed at Kae and the Rurouni with his wooden sword. All the goons in the room charged at the two of them.

"Rurouni, Kae, please run!" yelled Kaoru.

"Hurting more people seems pointless, that it does," said Kae, as she grabbed her fan and held it in her hand at her side.

"Anyone who dislikes seeing the doctor, leave now," said the Rurouni, as he put his thumb on the hilt of this sword.

"There will be no wounded…but rather two dead bodies!" yelled the goons, as they charged.

Kae and the Rurouni broke into a run towards the charging men. As they neared, Kae held her fan up and flipped it open, while the Rurouni drew his sword. The two of them ran into the crowd, slashing everyone in their way, but not killing them, Kae using her special fan, and the Rurouni using his sword. There were a few goons left, and the Rurouni took out the ten of them with a single swing.

Kihei stared in amazement as the men fell to the ground, unconscious. "One swing? It can't be…is this some sorcery?"

"No…it isn't sorcery…it's speed," Kaoru thought to herself, as she watched from Gohei's hand.

The Rurouni landed next to Kae, who had folded her fan. "Oh, one thing," said Kae. "Hitokiri Battosai doesn't use Kamiya Kasshin style, but an ancient style of the Sengoku era that pits one against many, don't you," she looked at the Rurouni, who had his sword over his shoulder, "Battosai?"

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style. If not for such a sword, the body count would increase tenfold," said the Rurouni. "And Kae used the Kyofan when she was one, and still does."

"No…you both are Hitokiri Battosai?" stammered Kaoru. She winced as Gohei threw her to the ground.

Gohei walked up to the two former Battosai. "I thought Carrot-top was nobody the other night. Didn't even occur to me to fight him. Now, I regret it!"

"Unlike you, these ones don't care for violence. If only this could have ended earlier. Quite regrettable," said the Rurouni.

Gohei pulled a blade from his wooden sword. "You're confident, or just vain." He charged at the two of them. "This world has no room…for three Battosai! I am the one!" He raised his sword.

The Rurouni disappeared, leaving Kae calmly facing the charging giant. He appeared above Gohei, and plowed him into the wooden floor with his sword. He walked away from Gohei, whose torso was through the wooden floor. "These ones have no attachment to the name Battosai, but still…the likes of you won't use it either." He stopped next to Kae who had backed Kihei into the dojo wall. He pointed his sword at the frightened old man.

"Now, one left," said Kae. "Your soul is bloody, even if your hands are not."

"Shall we test the sharpness of this blade?" asked the Rurouni, as he flipped his sword over. He walked towards Kihei, as the old man shrank to the floor. He stopped short of Kihei as a pool of yellowish liquid formed around the old man.

Kae walked up next to the Rurouni, and grabbed the piece of paper Kihei had used to soak up Kaoru's blood. It was the deed to Kaoru's dojo. She ripped it up. "Those who send others to their death are usually cowards, that they are." She turned to Kaoru and smiled as she dropped the pieces of the shredded deed to the floor. "Our apologies, Kaoru. We did not wish to hide the truth, that we didn't, but it is usually better if this isn't known, that it is." Kae and the Rurouni turned and started to walk towards the door. "Farewell."

"W-w-wait a second!" Kaoru yelled after them.

"Oro?" said the Rurouni, as he and Kae turned to look at Kaoru.

"Do you think I'm going to run this dojo by myself?" asked Kaoru, as she stood up holding her wounded shoulder. "The least you could do is help me out! I don't care who you two used to be!"

"You should have cared who Kihei used to be," stated the Rurouni.

"I'll be more careful," said Kaoru.

"Our help will not be good for you, that it won't," said Kae. "You have a chance to take the taint from your name. Being linked with any Battosai, especially us, will make it harder, that it will." She slid open the door.

"I'm not asking the Battosai to stay! I'm asking Kae and the Rurouni to…"yelled Kaoru, but she put a hand over her mouth. "Stay," came muffled from behind her hand. Kaoru turned from the two Battosai. "Forget it! If you want to go, go! But before you go, tell me your name, Rurouni. Battosai is a warrior name, right? What's your real name, or don't you want to tell me?" Kaoru sighed when there was a long pause.

"Kenshin," said the Rurouni after a few seconds of hesitation. "Kenshin Himura. That is my name…today."

"We are weary from traveling, that we are," said Kae. "As a Rurouni, one never knows when or where one will be off to next…but please, excuse the intrusion for a little while." She shut the door, turned to Kaoru, who had tears in her eyes, and smiled gently.

"Hey…wait a minute," said Kaoru. "If you're warriors from the Bakumatsu, just how old are you?!"

"Oro?" asked Kenshin.

"And what's 'Oro' mean anyway? You two can't be over thirty with faces like that!" pointed out Kaoru.

"I'm only eighteen, that I am," said Kae. "I'm not sure how old Kenshin is. How old are you, Kenshin?"

"How old indeed…one, two, three…" said Kenshin as he counted on his fingers.

"You don't know your own age?" yelled Kaoru.


	3. The Sword Corps

"No one. Not one! Cowards!" said Kaoru angrily, as she stared at the wall that hung four nameplates.

"These are times of great change. Once they move on, it's hard to come back, that it is," said Kae, as she sat against a wooden pole on the wooden porch watching Kenshin fold towels.

Kaoru stormed up to Kenshin. "And you! You say you're twenty-eight?! It's a lie and you know it!"

"Would thirty make you happier?" asked Kenshin.

"No, it wouldn't!" yelled Kaoru.

"This isn't going to be easy, that it isn't," Kae said out loud as she watched Kaoru yell at Kenshin.

When Kenshin had finished folding the clothes, the three of them went to town. Kaoru was no wearing her nice kimono with a shawl over her shoulders instead of her fighting Haiori, while Kenshin and Kae wore their usual clothes with scarves wrapped around their necks.

Kaoru stopped walking and Kae and Kenshin turned around to face her. She was staring at them with soft, asking, almost tear filled eyes.

"You have a question in your eyes," said Kenshin, as he smiled at her.

"It's nothing!" said Kaoru as she walked up to Kenshin and started hitting him on the head. "And didn't I tell you not to carry a sword? You should learn from Kae, she left hers at the dojo."

"Only because I use my sword as a last resort. I always use my Kyofan, that I do," said Kae.

"Calm down, Miss Kaoru! Just two years ago lots of people carried swords. No one's really bothered by it, are they?" asked Kenshin.

"What are you going to do when the police spot you like last time? They'll arrest you even if it is a reverse-blade sword!" yelled Kaoru.

"It worked out last time, didn't it?" asked Kenshin, as Kaoru shot him an angry look.

"Let's get our shopping down. You and Kae get the miso, salt, and soy sauce," ordered Kaoru.

"Always the heavy things," complained Kenshin, as he and Kae walked into a store.

"No complaining!" Kaoru yelled after them.

Kaoru was picking out radishes when she heard a commotion coming from behind her. "What's the commotion? What's happened?" she asked a passing man.

"The police caught some guy violating the sword-banning act," the name answered.

Kaoru dropped the radish in her hand and ran to the source of the commotion, where she saw Kenshin and Kae against the wall surrounded by police officers.

"You two gave us a good chase, but now you've got nowhere to run!" one of the officers said the Kenshin and Kae.

"Hmmm…so persistent, that they are," said Kae as she rubbed the back of her head.

"What can one do, but surrender?" added Kenshin.

"Move!!" came a loud voice from the crowd as it began to part. "Let the Sword Corp through, or our blades will move you!" A group of men carrying swords came out of the crowd. They were Sword Corps, composed of those officers adept with a blade and trusted by the government to carry one.

"Lieutenant Ujiki…" said a police officer as he saluted to the front Sword Corp.

"Good job. We will take care of it. You are dismissed," said the head Sword Corp, Ujiki.

"But the man hasn't drawn his sword, and the girl doesn't appear to have a weapon on her, and we have them surrounded," said the same police officer. "There's no need for the Sword Corps to…" He was cut short when Ujiki hit him in the face with the hilt of his sword.

"A third lieutenant would tell a veteran from Satsuma what to do?" said Ujiki, as the police officer fell to the ground unconscious. "When I tell you to leave, you leave." Ujiki turned to Kae and Kenshin. "What is this? Such a gentle looking man, and a little girl." He swung his sword as the crowd gasped. He had stopped the point of the sword mere centimeters from the unflinching Kae's face. While holding his sword near Kae's face, he looked at Kenshin. "Draw your sword gentle man, before I kill your pretty little friend. You must be confident to be carrying a sword here."

Kenshin grabbed the dull edge of Ujiki's sword and pushed it away from Kae's face. "This one does not carry a sword merely to flaunt it as a symbol of undeserved power."

"Hmph!" snorted Ujiki as he put his sword over his shoulder.

"Kenshin! Kae!" yelled Kaoru, as she ran towards them.

"She is with them?" wondered Ujiki, as he looked at her.

"Kaoru! Stay away!" yelled Kae. She ran past Ujiki towards Kaoru, but was stopped by two other Sword Corps.

"Where you think you're going, Girlie?" asked one of them, as he punched Kae in the stomach, making her fall to her knees.

Kae held her stomach as she collapsed to her knees. She gasped for breath and managed to mutter the word, "Bastard," before the same Sword Corp punched her in the face. She collapsed to her stomach, blood trickling from her mouth onto the dirt. She was conscious, but barely.

"Kae!" yelled Kaoru, as she ran towards her fallen friend. She screamed as the two Sword Corps slashed above her head with their swords, butchering her indigo colored hair ribbon.

"It will be more embarrassing when we cut her kimono," said the Sword Corp who had hit Kae.

"I'll say it again…draw your sword," Ujiki urged Kenshin.

"Are you really…a policeman?" asked Kenshin, as he glared at Ujiki.

"An officer, permitted to carry a sword. A swordsman who can kill people legally," answered Ujiki. "What's the matter? Aren't you going to draw? Your little girl friends life is on the line, gentle man."

"You tyrant!" yelled a man from the crowd. "Threatening him with his friends life!"

"You aren't God!" yelled a woman.

"Go back to Satsuma!" yelled another man.

Ujiki looked at the crowd. "Courage in numbers, hm? This is now a case of disruption of justice." He turned to his men. "Discipline every one of them. Draw your swords!" He watched as the others drew their swords. "If any resist…kill."

The Sword Corps charged at the people in the crowd as they fled.

"Do not lay a single blade," said Kenshin, as he drew his sword and pointed it at Ujiki, "on any of these citizens. This one is your opponent. If you want death, come forward."

"At last, he takes the bait. Whatever I do now is clearly self-defense. To stay in practice, I need to kill someone every once in a while!" said Ujiki as he licked the side of his blade.

Kenshin jumped through the Sword Corps, leaving all but Ujiki unconscious on the ground. He landed in front of Ujiki and put his sword over his elbow. "One left. Swear that you will not tyrannize your people any longer. Then you can arrest this one for violating the sword-banning act."

"Silence!" yelled Ujiki as he charged Kenshin with his sword high in the air. "I cannot bow to you!"

"His stance…" thought Kaoru. She recognized it. "He's a master of Jigen Style!"

"Ujiki, stop! You're…" yelled one of the regular police officers.

"A dead fool," finished Kae, as she watched from the ground. She chuckled to herself. "Jigen Style is a style of unmatched power, except…in the face of Hiten Mitsurugi Style." She watched as Kenshin hit Ujiki with his sword, and the Sword Corp fell to the ground. She waited until he had sheathed his sword, and then called out to him. "Kenshin…"

Kenshin walked over to Kae and knelt beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked, as he helped her to her feet. He put her arm over his shoulder and let her lean on him. He smiled when she nodded. Kenshin, Kae, and Kaoru were about to leave when someone called out to them. They turned around to see an old man.

"I've finally found you," said the man, as he walked up to them. "For ten years I've sought the two of you."

"You've grown a mustache, Yamagata," said Kae, from her place at Kenshin's side.

The man held a hand out to Kenshin and Kae. "I have a carriage waiting. Many of your comrades await your return. Come!"

"Our apologies, but not one strand of hair on out bodies wishes to spend the rest of our lives as Hitokiri's," said Kenshin, as he scooped Kae into both arms and held her, as she nodded in agreement.

"What are you two saying? Yes, you killed, but it was all for the revolution! Your souls bare no burden!" yelled Yamagata. "Only cowards and fools would denounce you all Hitokiri's! But I will…"

"…silence them with your power?" interrupted Kae. She gestured to Ujiki. "It's such thinking that creates men like him, that it is."

"It was to create a world of peace, not to win positions or power, that we raised out swords to kill," said Kenshin as he turned away. "If we forget that, we are no revolutionaries after all."

"Himura! Sagara!" yelled Yamagata. "Things have changed! This is the age of Meiji! Swords have been banned and the samurai have fallen! This is the age of Bakumatsu no longer! This is an age of law! You two will accomplish nothing with a sword!"

"With a sword, the people within out sight can at least be protected," said Kenshin, as he put a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "These ones are no different now from before, except we are now Rurouni's and not Hitokiri's." The three of them turned, and Kenshin who was carrying Kae, and Kaoru walked down the street.

The group of three was now walking back to Kaoru's dojo as the sun was setting behind the mountains.

"My apologies Kaoru," said Kae, who was now walking on her own. "Your hair ribbon, it was ruined because of me."

Kaoru looked back at Kae and smiled. "Don't worry about it. Kenshin can just do some extra housework." She laughed as Kenshin made a shocked face.

"Carrying all this isn't enough?" asked Kenshin, who was carrying the most stuff.


	4. Yahiko

The day after Kenshin crushed the Sword Corps, the word was out and the dojo was packed.

"One, two, three…" counted Kaoru. "Wow! Fifteen people! We'll have Kamiya Kasshin Style back in no time!"

"This isn't good," said Kenshin. "Hey everyone! This one is not from this dojo, and is taking no students! So if you are here because of yesterday's incident, please go home!" he called to the crowd. He watched as every one of them left. "Good, good. Now, time to heat up the bath." He started to walk away from Kaoru. He walked past Kae who was sitting against a wooden post playing a pipe flute.

"Idiot!" yelled Kaoru, as she hit him on the head with her wooden sword. "Why did you send them home?"

"Taking on students is not…" started Kenshin.

"Why do they have to know that?" yelled Kaoru. "Once I've got 'em in, I'll make sure they stay!"

"That would be dishonest," said Kenshin, right before Kaoru punched him in the face.

"I am the one and only student Kenshin ever took to teach the Hiten Mitsurugi Style to, and he taught me so that I could adapt it to my Kyofan and not just my sword," said Kae.

Later that day, they went fro a walk. When they were over a large wooden bridge Kenshin spoke up. "Are you still mad?"

"Fifteen students! Fifteen students!" shouted Kaoru.

"But thrill-seekers like that never last even six months, that they don't," said Kae, from her perch on Kenshin's shoulders. She had her elbows resting on the top of his head and her chin was in her hands. "That's not what you want. There's no need to rush. Just have patients and optimism."

"But I can't do any training without visiting someone else's dojo, because I don't have any students to train with! And you and Kenshin won't spar with me!" yelled Kaoru.

"Our skills with a practice sword are lacking, that they are…whoa!" yelled Kae, as she was thrown from Kenshin's shoulders and tumbled to the ground.

"Oro!" said Kenshin as the young boy that had hit him pushed passed him.

Kaoru realized what the boy was doing and tackled him. "Stop!" She grabbed something from the kid. "Kenshin, this kids a pick-pocket! This is your wallet, yeah?" She handed the wallet to Kenshin.

"Leggo! Let me go, Ugly!" the boy yelled at Kaoru.

"Wh…who're you calling ugly, Stupid?" yelled Kaoru.

"You, Ugly!" yelled the boy. He gestured to Kae as she got to her feet. "I'm not about to call the pretty girl ugly!"

"Wait, wait!" said Kenshin as he held his wallet up. "If he needs this so badly…" he said as he put his wallet in the boy's hand. "Young One. Don't get caught next time." He picked up the weights Kaoru had been carrying and headed over the bridge. "Let's go." Kae and Kaoru followed after him.

"W…wait a minute!" Kaoru yelled.

The young boy squeezed Kenshin's wallet in his hand. He threw it at Kenshin, hitting him in the back of the head. "I'm not a Young One!" he yelled. "I am Yahiko Myojin, Tokyo Samurai! I haven't fallen far enough to be pitied by strangers! Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Young One…" started Kenshin.

"I'm not a Young One!" yelled Yahiko.

Kae smiled at Yahiko. "You look like a child, that you do, but it's obvious that your soul is mature. Kenshin didn't mean to underestimate you." She watched as Yahiko ran off in the opposite direction. "Do you think he's proud or ashamed?" she asked Kenshin and Kaoru.

"I'd say he's a brat!" answered Kaoru.

"Poor boy," Kae said to Kaoru as they walked along the river. Kenshin had gone back to the dojo ahead of them. "If the world weren't like it was, he would have joined the truly great samurai, that he would have." Kae happened to look across the river and saw Yahiko sitting there. Two men were approachin him from behind, so she listened in.

"Hey, there he is," said one of the men. "We had to go looking for you, Yahiko." He held his hand out to Yahiko. "This month's payment is due. Better give it up."

"Forget it," answered Yahiko. "No more stealing. I cut my ties to you gangsters as of today."

The second man looked angrily at Yahiko, then raised his wooden sword. He smacked Yahiko in the head, sending blood flying.

"G…Gasuke…" stuttered the first man.

"Don't talk crazy, eh?" said the man who hit Yahiko. "What're you trying to pull?"

"N…nothing," said Yahiko, as blood dripped from his lip. He though about what Kae has said to him. "I'm just sick of being a thief."

Gasuke sneered and put his foot on the back of Yahiko's head and pushed the boys face in the ground, knocking Yahiko unconscious. "You've always been a punk. I don't like punks. Time to show you who the boss is!"

"Mmm…that was a good sweat. Now we'll just go home, have some tea, and…hey, I wonder if Kenshin fired up the bath? He went home early, so he should…" said Kaoru but Kae cut her off.

"Kaoru, look! It's that boy, Yahiko!" said Kae as she pointed across the river to the two men, as they carried Yahiko away. Kae ran off towards the dojo. "Kaoru, I'm going to go get Kenshin!"

"Shut up!" yelled Yahiko, as he bit Gasuke in the crotch. "My father died faithful to his Lord, opposing a revolution that he knew was immoral!" He clenched his fist. "My mother worked to put food on my table, and to raise me well, until it killed her." Tears filled his eyes. "They lived and died as samurai! I won't forgive anyone who insults them!"

"I'm the one that won't forgive, Punk!" yelled Gasuke. He pulled a blade from his wooden sword and raised it above Yahiko. "I'm gonna kill y…" he stopped short when the wall came crashing down on top of him.

"Wh…who the hell are you?" asked the boss. He was addressing Kae and Kenshin, who were standing on top of the wall that pinned Gasuke to the floor. "It's a raid! Get the guys!"

"They won't come," said Kae, as she gave the boss her death glare. "They weren't going to let us in, so we had them go to sleep for a while. We are Kenshin Himura and Kae Sagara. We are Rurouni's. We've come for the Young One."

"Hand him over peacefully and no one will get hurt," added Kenshin, he too, giving his death glare.

"What are you?" yelled Gasuke, as he flipped the wall off his back. He ran at Kenshin and Kae with his blade raised. "More samurai fools? I'll you three at…once?"

Kae had run at him, opening her fan. She hit him with the special blade on the end, sending him in to the ceiling, where he hung by his head. "We're talking. Just stay there and be quiet for a while." She flipped her fan shut in front of her face.

"What do you say?" Kenshin asked the boss. "Show your generosity and release the Young One. It may embarrass you less than the total annihalation of your gang."

"Fine. Go ahead and take him," said the boss as sweat ran down his face.

"Thank you. Please forgive the intrusion," said Kae as she attached her fan to her waist sash.

Kenshin walked up to Yahiko and held a hand out to him. "Are you all right, Young One? You were hard to pinpoint, but after visiting one Yakuza group after another…"

Yahiko slapped Kenshin's hand away. "Who told you to help me? I could have fought them alone! I could have faught!"

"…of course. This one underestimated you once again," said Kenshin. He grabbed Yahiko by the back of his shirt and hoisted the boy over his shoulder. "Then, as an apology, at least allow your wounds to be treated." He and Kae walked out of the building.

"Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn," muttered Yahiko, who was still being held over Kenshin's shoulder.

"Are you that bothered by your lack of power, Young One?" asked Kenshin.

"Damn. I want to be strong, so strong I won't need your guy's help…strong enough to defend my father and mothers pride on my own," cried Yahiko.

"Of course," said Kae as she walked beside them.

Back at the Kamiya Dojo, Kaoru was getting worried. "They're taking a long time. I'm sure Kenshin and Kae are okay, but what about the boy?" Her worried expression softened when she saw the door slide open. "As I expected, you're wounded badly," she said as Kae, Kenshin, and Yahiko came in. "I've arranged to have a carriage waiting. We're going to the doctor."

"She's teacher of Kamiya Kasshin Style. Miss Kaoru Kamiya," Kenshin said as he held Yahiko out by the back of the boy's shirt.

"She'll be your sensei from today," added Kae.

"Wait a second. Are you telling me to learn swords?" asked Yahiko, "and from this ugly?"

"Sensei? You mean to make him my student?" asked Kaoru.

"Yep," said Kenshin, as he dropped Yahiko. "The stage has been set, the rest is up to you." He patted Yahiko on the head.

"You can be as strong as you want, Yahiko, that you can," added Kae.

"Hey! You don't need to tell me!" Yahiko stated.

"You're gonna stop calling me ugly!" yelled Kaoru, as she grabbed Yahiko by the front of his shirt.

"Why should I Ugly?" taunted Yahiko.

"Shouldn't we be going to the doctor?" asked Kenshin.


	5. Cannonball Frienzy

Yahiko's wounds healed completely in a week. Finally, training began again at eh dojo…sort of.

"No! That's not how you hold it!" Kaoru yelled at Yahiko during practice.

"Oh? Then how about this, Ugly?" taunted Yahiko.

"I told you I'd stangle you if you called me that again!" shouted Yahiko.

"Go ahead and try, if you think you can!" urged Yahiko.

"Oro?" said Kenshin from the sidelines.

"We aren't making much progress, that we aren't," said Kae, as she laid on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands next to Kenshin.

"Kenshin! You tell him!" Kaoru yelled, as she pointed at Yahiko. "Then wash his mouth out!"

"I'm here to become strong! Not to train against some little girl!" yelled Yahiko.

"Little?" shot Kaoru.

"Kenshin, Kae, you told me to get stronger. You guys teach me," said Yahiko.

"The Hiten Mitsurugi Style for sword or Kyofan will not be passed on to the next generation. These ones are just observers," explained Kenshin.

"You should become strong with Kamiya Kasshin Style and Katsujinken, that you should," added Kae.

"They're not even listening…" Kenshin pointed out to Kae.

"I'll strangle you!" yelled Kaoru.

"I dare you!" taunted Yahiko.

"We should take this opportunity to go to town, that we should. We need to get some water for the dojo anyways," suggested Kae. She stood up as Kenshin nodded. The two of them walked away from the fighting Yahiko and Kaoru and out of the dojo.

"It's been a while since we did anything just you and me, Kae," said Kenshin later that afternoon after they had gotten water for the dojo.

"That it has, that it has," answered Kae, as they walked up to the gate of the Kamiya Dojo. "It's nice to have others around for a change though, that it is. For the last eight years it has been just you and me." She looked at the gate when she heard a thundering sound. "Something's not right, Kenshin. Let's go." They ran in the gate and saw Yahiko kicking a man in the face.

"Do not take me, Yahiko Myojin, for scum like this! Do you think I'd let you die alone?" he yelled at Kaoru.

"You brat!" yelled the man Yahiko had kicked. "Now, I won't let you go! I'll kill you!" He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"That doesn't sound very friendly, that it doesn't," said Kae, as she and Kenshin walked towards the dojo.

"Kenshin! Kae!" yelled Yahiko and Kaoru.

"Perhaps the two in the back have been up to no good, but still, did you have to resort to a cannon?" asked Kenshin. "Now, let's calm down and work this out."

"And who the hell are you two?" asked the man.

"Master Hachisuka, this is bad. Those two are…are…Remember the Rurouni who beat up the police Sword Corps by himself, and the young girl Rurouni with him? I think it's them," said another of the men to the leader, Hachisuka.

"Coward! You gonna let yourself be scared by a Rurouni and a little girl?" asked the leader. He pointed to the cannon. "We have this on our side! Prepare the cannon!" After his men had loaded the cannon, he yelled, "Fire!"

The cannon ball flew out of the cannon and shot at Kae and Kenshin, who stared unflinchingly at it.

Kenshin pulled his sword out of its sheath and slashed through the cannon ball with the sharp side of his Sakabato (reverse-blade sword). The cannon ball split in half and went around Kenshin and Kae, and hit the wall behind them. He pointed his sword at the men. "It's pointess to hesitate…when using this Sakabato against non-human objects."

"Once again, stop this foolishness," said Kae feircly.

Kenshin and Kae watched as the group of men ran out of the dojo gates, then they walked up to Kaoru and Yahiko who were standing in front of two other men.

"My, my. So much happens when these ones are away," said Kenshin. He turned to the two men. "Go home now."

"And forget from this moment that you were students of this place. Never hold a sword in you hands again," added Kae.

The two men nodded and turned to walk away, when Kaoru said, "Hira…the wound on your shoulder…make sure you go see a doctor…"

The two men bowed and walked out of the dojo gate forever.

"Cheer up, Miss Kaoru," said Kenshin.

Kae put her hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "No matter how sincerely you try…there are times when your thoughts just don't reach the student, that there are."

"Quit cying. It doesn't suit you," said Yahiko, as he walked passed them. "I won't turn out like them." He turned to see Kaoru's surprised expression. "I'll enter your dojo. I know it's impossible to be like Kenshin and Kae right away. So I'll settle for your level for now." He started towards the dojo, as Kenshin, Kaoru, and Kae watched him.

Kenshin smiled. "But then…there are those you really do teach."

When Yahiko realized that no one was following him, he stopped and turned to them. "I've got no time to fool around! Kaoru! Hurry up and attack me!"

"I liked it better when you called me ugly," mumbled Kaoru.

Kamiya Kasshin Style. No master. One instructor, Kaoru Kamiya. One student, Yahiko Myojin. And two Rurouni, Kenshin Himura, and Kae Sagara. This early spring day in the eleventh year of Meiji, the first small step was taken.


	6. Bird Head Stranger at the Akabeko

Kenshin looked up from sharpening his Sakabato. "Oro?" he said, as Kaoru ran out of the dojo holding a scroll in her hand.

"So I said, we don't have to worry about expenses for a while," said Kaoru as she stopped next to Kae who was sitting in her usual spot, leaning against the wooden porch post. She unrolled the scroll in her hand. "I found it when I was organizing the closet! My grandpa drew…"

"Ahh…doodling," said Kenshin when he saw the random lines on the scroll.

"Ink painting!" yelled Kaoru as she got mad. She rolled up the scroll and rubbed it affectionately against her cheek. "My grampa wasn't just a swordsman, he was a master of painting in ink. I can sell this for a lot of money. Oh, thank you, Grampa!"

"Women and cash," sighed Yahiko as he watched Kaoru with his Shinai over his shoulder.

"And now we're gonna splurge at the Beef-Pot House for lunch!" cheered Kaoru as she headed for the dojo gate.

"Hey! I said you could teach me swords! Nothing else!" yelled Yahiko as he tried to attack Kaoru but was held back by Kenshin.

The cultural renaissance of Meiji also had a great influence on he Japanese cuisine, creating a variety of new dishes. Among them, Beef-Pot or Gyunabe was seen as representative of European foods, and was affordable to the general public.

"Hello and come on…" started a waitress when she saw Kaoru, Kenshin, Kae, and Yahiko standing at the door or the Akabeko restaurant. "Kaoru! Come in!"

"Long time no see, Tae," Kaoru said to the waitress.

"You look good. And you've some unfamiliar faces with you today," said Tae, pointing to Kae, Kenshin, and Yahiko. She looked right at Kenshin. "That guy there your lover?"

"No! Just a guest of the dojo!" said Kaoru as she shook her hands in front of her.

"I don't believe it!" came a loud voice from inside the restaurant. "We will never gain our rights through such methods! Only a far more radical…"

"But that will be just like sending Master Itagaki to his death!" said another man.

"Their home secretary, Okubo is a man who didn't hold back on the great Saigo!" urged third man, sitting at a table with the other two.

"Okubo is fine. Who wouldn't want to be pleased to die and become a legend like Saigo?" yelled the first man.

"Fool. There's nothing to gain from the romance of 'becoming a legend'," shot the second.

Tae sighed. "Those guys. They always get like that when they're drunk."

"Activists of the Democratic Rights Movement, its sounds like, that it does," said Kae.

"Sounds like gibberish to me," added Kaoru.

"Just a bunch of drunks," stated Yahiko.

"Well, don't mind them. For four, then, is it?" asked Tae as she lead them to a cubical booth across from the loud men.

"Oh, and four coffee please," said Kaoru as she sat on her knees on her pillow cushion. "Yahiko, have you ever had coffee?" She patted Yahiko on the head.

"Who cares?" asked Yahiko, as he glared at Kaoru.

"Miss Kaoru, you're in a good moo…" started Kenshin then he stopped short.

"Kenshin?" asked Kae as she looked at him.

Suddenly, Kenshin shot forward towards Kaoru, who was across the table from him, as a sake bottle smashed against the back of his head.

"Kenshin!" yelled Kaoru as she caught Kenshin.

"Ororo!" mumbled Kenshin.

"What? I dare you to say that again!" shouted the first drunk man.

"You're useless!" shouted the third man, as he angrily got to his feet.

Yahiko shot an angry glare at the three men. "Maybe you didn't notice, but you threw a bottle at somebody! Apologize first, then do whatever!"

The three men stopped and looked at Yahiko. "Shut up! What right has a kid like you to mouth off at the defenders of human rights?" yelled the man who had thrown the bottle.

"Kid or not, I'm telling you drunks to apologize!" shot Yahiko.

"Whoa, whoa…" said Kae, as she stood up and started towards the men in the cubical across from them.

"How dare you call us drunks? We are defenders of…" started the man.

"If you drink, you are a drunk," Yahiko told them.

"You shouldn't cause trouble, that you shouldn't," said Kae as she approached them.

"What? Now a female's mouthing off!" yelled the largest of the three men as he punched Kae away from them.

"Kae!" yelled Kaoru as they watched her fly back.

"Oh!" came a man's voice from the next cubical down as an arm reached out and caught Kae before she fell. "Well now," said the man as he came out and stood next to Kae, his arm around her shoulders. He had messy brown hair and wore a red ribbon around his forehead. He wore an open chest jacket and had red clothe around his left wrist. "Aren't the defenders of human rights supposed to protect the weak? Or are the rights you speak of the rights to get drunk and violent?" He looked down at Kae. "Are you alright?"

"Um…yes, that I am," answered Kae as she nodded. She looked up at the man. "Why does this man seem so familiar?" she thought to herself.

"What did you say?" asked one of the drunken men.

"Are you challenging us?" demanded the man who had punched Kae.

"Well, I suppose I could 'sell' for a change," answered the messy haired man. "I'm usually the one who 'buys', but…I don't like those who pick on girls, like this pretty one here. Especially those who bark pretty words like freedom, justice, and equality. Nothing sickens me like a hypocrite!"

A few minutes later, the stranger and the man who had punched Kae, were staring each other down outside the Akabeko.

"What a weird situation…" said Kaoru as she watched from the side lines with Kenshin, Kae, and Yahiko.

"Would it be best to stop them?" asked Kenshin.

"He wanted to do it, so maybe not," Yahiko pointed out.

The big man cracked his knuckles and sneered at the stranger. "I'll show no mercy, even if you cry."

The stranger smiled and pointed at himself. "Come at me, let's see what you've got."

The man charged at the stranger, his arm ready to punch. He started laughing as he unfolded a long metal rod in his hand and he made contact with the stranger's forehead. "Take this!"

"Coward! Hiding a Suntetsu!" yelled Kaoru.

"Aw, shut it! A Suntetsu is meant to be a concealed weapon!" yelled on of the big mans companions.

"A bad thing, indeed…" stated Kenshin.

"However…it makes no difference, that it doesn't," added Kae.

The stranger looked up at the big man with a disgusted glare. "That's it? Even with the Suntetsu? You disappoint me."

The big man started screaming in pain as his arm broke from the force of the impact with the stranger's head.

"I don't want to seem like I'm picking on you weaklings," said the stranger as he put his hand up to the man's face. "I'll take you on with one finger." He flicked the man in the forehead and sent him flying backwards. He shook his head as the man landed on the ground in front of his comrades. "I've sold a boring fight."

"One flick…" said Yahiko as he watched with amusement.

One of the men with the big man glared at the stranger. He held up his staff and started to pull a blade from it, but stopped short and gasped when he felt a sword hilt on his back.

"This is fine as a drunken brawl. But if you're going to draw a concealed blade…" stated Kenshin, as he stood behind the man with the hilt of his sword on the man's back.

"Democratic rights deserve support, that they do," added Kae as she stood next to Kenshin. "But you need to straighten yourselves out before you straighten out the government. Pay your check and go home, that you should." She watched as the man and his other companion picked up the big man and ran off down the street.

Tae walked up to the stranger. "Thank you so much for helping…"

The stranger put his hands in his pockets. "Nothing to thank me for. I did this for my own reasons. I apologize for the commotion." He turned and looked at Kenshin. "Hey, Swordsman…how's the wound on your head?"

"Mm. Not so bad, really," answered Kenshin.

The stranger smiled. "Good. It'd be to bad if you got seriously wounded from getting hit on purpose." He noticed the surprised look on Kaoru's face. "If you'd dodged it, the lady's face would be all bloody right now." He pointed his thumb at Kaoru. "So you didn't move. You used your head as a shield. Am I wrong?"

Kenshin sighed and smiled. "You give me too much credit."

"Such modesty," stated the stranger. He turned to face Kae. "You, young miss, are a brave one, but standing up to those drunks and getting pushed around, that was all a bluff, wasn't it? You were just trying to keep them from pounding the kid, weren't you?" He smiled when Kae didn't answer. "Sorry about being so forward, miss. You just remind me a lot of a girl I used to know." He turned to leave. "If you ever need anything, I'll be at the Gorotsuki Nagaya in the outskirts of the city. Later."

When the man turned to walk away, Kenshin, Kaoru, Kae, and Yahiko stared at the kanji for Aku or evil on the back of his jacket.

"What was that?" asked Kaoru. "Is he a good guy or a bad guy?"

"Or just a weird guy…" muttered Yahiko.

Kae smiled as she watched the man walk away. "He was odd…that he was…"


	7. Bird Head wants a Fight

Two weeks later, Kae looked up from her steaming cup of hot tea. She set her cup on the floor as she looked at Yahiko who had a cookie in his mouth and Kaoru who was reading a book. She then looked at Kenshin. "We have a guest, that we do…" Without another word, she and Kenshin stood up and left the room and headed towards the door of the dojo.

Kaoru stood up and followed them with Yahiko right on her heels. "Wait, Kae, Kenshin…What's going on?"

"His chi is powerful," answered Kenshin, as he approached the door. He opened it to see the kind stranger from the Akabeko standing there. "Unconcealed…blatantly honest fighting chi."

"I came…" said the stranger. "To pick a fight."

"They guy from before!" yelled Kaoru when she saw him.

Kenshin sighed. "So it's you. Sorry, this one shall refrain from fighting."

The stranger walked towards them. "I can't accept that. I've taken this fight as a merchant. I can't back out." He smirked. "On top of that, my opponent is the revolutionary Himura Battosai." He smiled again at their shock. "The Choshu revolutionary Himura Battosai, whose way is the ancient sword-school of Hiten Mitsurugi Style. Active for five years from ages fourteen to nineteen. Hired for the first half of his career as a Hitokiri, a relentless assassin lurking in the darkness of the night and in the later half, acting as a free swordsman to protect his comrades from the government's killers, the Shinsengumi along with his young female partner." He made eye contact with Kae. "Thus the killers who would have never seen the light of day became legends. And in the deciding battle of the Boshin War, after victory in the first battle at Toba Fushimi, they disappear and reappear as Rurouni. Kenshin Himura and his young partner." He put his hand in his pocket and held a long staff like object wrapped in clothe over his shoulder. "A real fight begins with knowing the opponent. Upon learning, I then choose the way to fight. I went to Kyoto, where the revolution had its center. I have it pretty much right, don't I?"

Kenshin stared at the man. "And you have determined the way to fight me?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "That's the problem! My research only turned up a vague history. Nothing about what Hiten Mitsurugi Style is like…or why a relentless Hitokiri, took a girl of age ten as his partner, or why they turned into Rurouni who kill no one. I couldn't figure it out. So here I am at he main gate, honorably asking for a face-to-face fight."

Kenshin sighed. "This one does not understand." The stranger stared at him with a puzzled look. "Why do you who can't stand to see bullies or be one…work as a personal fighter? And why do you wear the character of 'Aku' on your back? Your soul is straight and honest, but right now, you've gone badly askew. What turned you so far out of line?"

The stranger hesitated as he thought back. "What, you ask?" He smiled. "Nah. A sob story shouldn't be told before a fight. If you really want to know, fight me and beat me! But I'll say this at least, I believe that all revolutionary warriors are hypocrites…in the name of justice changing the world in ways that benefit them, and getting rid of those in the way. Even if that means twisting and hiding the truth. This 'equality' they talk about is all a lie." The stranger dropped his smile and shot a hateful glare at Kenshin. "I want to crush the Hitokiri whom the songs call the greatest of the Revolutionaries!" he said angrily.

"All right, then…" stated Kenshin, as he closed his eyes and sighed.

Kae looked at the stranger whose face was pulling at her memory. "Tell us this…the ones who hired you are the Hiruma Brothers, yes?"

The stranger walked up to Kae, who made him feel that he knew her from his past. "Yes, how did you know?"

"Not many people know our background in this city, that they don't," answered Kae. She looked over at the wooden fence to their right. "Besides…some very dirty chi is coming from that side of the fence, that there is. Show yourselves."

"Heh, you're a great warrior as well, Little Miss," answered the stranger as he stared and smiled calmly at Kae. "Come out, you two," he called over to the fence. He glared at the fence when the ones hiding behind it did nothing.

"We said, come out!" demanded Kae, as she put her hand on her Kyofan but didn't take it off her sash.

The stranger smiled as Kihei and his giant brother, Gohei came out and walked up to them. "Good, good. There you go." He held his hand out to Kihei. "All right, hand it over."

"Huh?" asked Kihei.

"What do you mean 'huh'?" demanded the stranger.

"Ah!" yelped Kihei as the stranger quickly reached into Kihei's shirt and pulled out the pistol he had concealed there.

The stranger looked at the gun in his hand. "I though so. I don't have the ability to read chi…but I know how you scum think." He glared at Kihei and threw the gun into the air. "Listen, you're paying for this fight, but this is my profession. Stupid stunts like this…" he said as the gun came down and he smashed it between his fists, "…are absolutely no tolerated!"

Kaoru looked over at the old man who had once seemed to be her friend. "…Kihei."

Kihei shot Kaoru a nasty glare. "This property will be mine yet, Wench!" she spat at her.

"This place is too small…" said the stranger, "let's go to the river bank." He lead them all into the town and headed toward the river.

"Yahiko," said Kae as she fell into step next to the young boy.

"Huh?" asked Yahiko as he looked up at her.

"Were you…surprised?" Kae asked him.

Yahiko crossed his arms as they walked. "Kinda…but it's funny, I don't feel afraid, knowing you and Kenshin are the Hitokiri Battosai. In fact…it makes more sense to me now why you're as good as you two are." He looked up as Kae and Kenshin smiled. "Anyways, you think you'll be okay, Kenshin."

"Oro?" asked Kenshin.

"I mean, look at his weapon. That's got to be a spear," Yahiko pointed out. "I heard you need three times the strength to fight a spear with a sword."

"This isn't a spear, kid," said the stranger. He turned to them and smiled as they came up to the river bank. "This is something better. Oh yeah, we haven't introduced our selves to each other yet. My name is Sanosuke Sagara. I'm known in the darker alleys as 'Zanza'."


	8. Sanosuke and Kae's Past

Kae's eyes shot open at hearing his name. "Sanosuke? It couldn't be him, could it?" she though to herself. She watched as Sanosuke ripped open the clothe on his pole to reveal a large stone blade on a long metal stick.

Sanosuke held it up in front of him. "Sanosuke with the San or 'Zan'bato. Zanza for short." The Zanbato is a giant sword invented before the Sengoku or "Warring States" period, designed to take down a rider and his horse in one swing. It's the heaviest katana ever made. Because of its weight, it is said that no one has ever been able to wield it to its full capacity. "It's an antique from the Onin Struggle, so it's not in perfect shape anymore…so even though they call it a blade, it has no edge at all. I can only use it to smash and crush."

Kenshin faced Sanosuke and drew his sakabato. "Kenshin 'Rurouni' Himura…will face you with this. But then you probably already knew that much from your research."

"Yes. Let me give you some advise," said Sanosuke. "Let go of your ideas about sparing lives…or else…you'll die!" he yelled as he charged at Kenshin with the Zanbato held high.

"He's fast!" said Gohei.

"With a weapon that heavy!" added Kaoru.

Kenshin stared Sanosuke down, holding his sword at the ready, as he charged.

Kae watched as Sanosuke smashed the Zanbato into the ground where Kenshin was standing. She saw Kenshin's sword sheath fly into the air and split in two. She sighed with relief as Kenshin ran at Sanosuke, being missed completely by the Zanbato.

Kenshin hit Sanosuke in the side with his sword and sent the man flying back. He landed firmly on his feet and looked to were Sanosuke had landed after the hit.

"Of course. No matter how big his Zanbato is, it doesn't matter if he can't hit!" cheered Yahiko. "It's an easy win for Kenshin!"

Kenshin glared at where Sanosuke was, never taking his eyes off the man.

"You are worthy of your legend," said Sanosuke as he sat up and got to his feet. "I'm glad."

Kae watched as Sanosuke stood up. "No…wait…we've been misreading his strength…his real strength isn't the Zanbato…it isn't even the monstrous power that takes down a giant man in one flick. He didn't even flinch when he got hit in the head by a Suntetsu. His strength is his inhuman toughness, that it is!" Then she thought, "Until now, Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi Style has taken down every foe in one hit. That one hit won't work on this man, that it won't!"

Sanosuke held up the Zanbato in front of him with both hands. "A true fight isn't like a sword duel. The better swordsman doesn't always win. The winner is the one who remains standing!"

Kenshin held his sword up at the ready. "Such a line should not be spoken until you are the last one standing!"

"He can do it!" yelled Gohei. "He didn't feel a thing from Battosai's blow! Can it be…?"

"You really are a fool," Kihei told his brother. "Battosai dodged his Zanbato as if it weren't there. Zanza has no chance of winning…no matter what." He snickered. "But then…that is how I planned it!"

Sanosuke charged at Kenshin with his Zanbato. "Round two! Strike!" He swung his weapon at the small red head but was surprised to see he wasn't there.

"The Zanbato's size limits it to a few modes of attack," said Kenshin as he knelt on the flat edge of the Zanbato that was over Sanosuke's shoulder. "Swinging down…or swinging sideways. Very easy to read." He jumped off the Zanbato towards Sanosuke. "It isn't just the second round, it's the final round!" He used Sanosuke's shoulder and jumped over him.

Sanosuke turned towards Kenshin with fury in his eyes and swung the Zanbato around at him.

Kenshin ducked under the path of the Zanbato. "One isn't enough for you, Zanza. So then…" He swung his sword repeatedly at Sanosuke, hitting the vital knockout areas on the man's body.

"…too…strong…" Sanosuke thought as he fell over on to his back.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Ryusosen," said Kenshin as he looked at Kenshin.

"He's not just a little better…" thought Sanosuke as he lay there and coughed. "He's a different kind of being. I can't win…"

Kae walked passed Kenshin and up to Sanosuke and gave him a mournful look. "Anymore would be meaningless, that it would, Sano. Any desire Kenshin had to cross swords with you is gone. Please, accept your defeat. I don't want to see you hurt anymore…Sozo would be disappointed if you kept going, that he would…"

"S…Sozo? How do you, a Hitokiri, know of Sozo?" asked Sanosuke as he stared up at Kae.

"Because, he was my older brother before I became a Hitokiri…Sano…it's me…" answered Kae.

"Kae!" stammered Sanosuke.

Kae nodded as tears welded in her eyes. "Sano, Captain Sagara would frown on you if you were to continue, that he would."

"Captain Sagara…" said Sanosuke as the thought back ten years.

_A man with short brown hair stood at the edge of a small cliff watching an army march along the road below. A young silver haired girl and a young brown haired boy stood smiling behind him. All three of them wore red ribbons around their foreheads._

_"Remember this moment, Kae, Sanosuke," said the man to the two children who were Kae at the age of eight and Sanosuke at the age of nine. The older man was Kae's older brother, Sozo Sagara. "Three hundred years of Tokugawa rule will end…and the new age will dawn. The time of the strong exploiting the weak will pass. The time when there is no 'above' or 'below' will arrive. And we, the Sekihotai Army, will lead it in."_

_"'Our struggles will decide if it comes in one year or ten', that they will," said Kae, as she smiled while she recited the end of her brother's usual speech._

_"Even the calluses on our ears have memorized it," added Sanosuke._

_Sozo sighed then looked back at the two children and smiled gently. He walked away from the edge of the cliff and passed the two children back towards the base._

_"So Captain. If the revolution goes right, and we mad a world of equality…" started Sanosuke as he and Kae followed after Sozo. "…even a farmers son like me will be able to take a last name?"_

_"Yes," answered Sozo as he stopped and waited for them to catch up._

_"Then how 'bout I take the name 'Sagara'?" asked Sanosuke._

_"Sanosuke Sagara…sounds goofy. Don't do it," joked Kae as they made their way back to the base together._

_Later that night, they were all in the meeting hut gathered around a large table talking._

_"This is preposterous! We, the Sekihotai Army, are a fraud?" demanded on of the men at the table._

_"Orders…from the commanding general…to every unit of the regular army…" said another solider that was wrapped in bandages. "…to capture the 'False army called Sekihotai'. My unit…stationed at the Usui Cliff…was attacked by the army from Shinshu…and slaughtered! They've ordered the capture of Captain Sozo Sagara and his younger sister, Kae Sagara above all…"_

_"But why?" asked another man. "We're patriots, too…"_

_"It's not us! It's the tax reform they don't want!" stated the first man. "They promised they'd halve all taxes to bring farmers in each prefecture over to their side. But the revolutionary government is having financial problems, and can't stand by it…so they label the Sekihotai Army as frauds and punish us, so they can bury their promises! Our army is mainly farmers and merchants, so we're safe and easy for them to destroy!" He looked at Sozo. "Captain Sagara, what do we do? Captain!"_

_"We cannot defy the commanding General…" stated Sozo. "I will report to headquarters in Shimasuwa." He walked up to Sanosuke and Kae who were standing against the wall. He knelt down in front of Kae and took her into his arms. "Kae, I want you and Sanosuke to wait here." He stood up and walked away from them. "You are both junior soldiers, and you're still young. I cannot take you beyond this point."_

_"Sozo…" said Kae, as she stared after him._

_Sozo looked back and smiled gently. "It's all right. Do not worry, Kae. I'll be back for you. I'll be back for you." He left the tent, but little did any of them know, he would never return for her._

_"Sozo Sagara, Captain of the first unit, the fraudulent 'Sekihotai Army'," said a police officer. He was standing inside a fenced off area and next to him was a wooden pedestal. On top of the pedestal sat the head of Sozo Sagara. "Decapitated for deceiving the people by spreading rumors of an impossible tax reduction. We might have tolerated his pretense at being a hero and mockery of true patriots, but building false hope in the people, that was sheer villainy. A message to all citizens, there is a warrant out for the capture of Sozo Sagara's younger sister, Kae, the heir to the command of the Sekihotai Army. She is at the age of eight and is demanded to be unharmed when captured."_

_Sanosuke and Kae watched from the other side of the fence, no one noticing that Kae was right in front of them. Sanosuke looked at Kae, whose eyes were overflowing with tears at the sight of her brother's head._

Sanosuke snapped out of it and looked at the tears in Kae's eyes and thought of her crying that day, and his rage grew.


End file.
